V/A – The Morgue The Merrier / 2005 Poptown / 15 Tracks / http://www.poptownrecords.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 01 February 2006
First off, having a virtually unknown band start off your compilation is always a good thing, but having them come out with a fury like how Calabrese does with their Offspring meets Misfits styled “Midnight Spookshow” is just perfect. There have been a number of horrorcore compilations in the last few years, so there needs to be a continual raising of the bar by this album to really put them above the rest of the material filling the market. While it is true that Calabrese breeze through their three minuites with all the poise of masters, The Dead Elvi struggle in a punkabilly sound.
“Wolfman Road” is not absolutely fill the blanks, but really keeps listeners’ interest from flagging with just the smallest amount of hair metal and swamp rock added to the mix. Psycho Charger come to the disc with an interesting sound; there is a certain gruffness around their rock-laden style that works well in their case with a humor that is more appreciable from fans of acts like Sum41 and Blink 182. Richie Scarlet tries desperately to come out in the vein of KISS, but ultimately fails with a track that seems to underperfom at every turn. There seems to be an ennui present in Scarlet’s vocals that make any sincerity on eir part impossible. The fact that there are guitar lines copped during this track makes this even more of a non-performer. What seems to be the hardest-hitting song on this disc is also the one that breaks from the tradition the most. “Carol Ann”, by Steel Rodeo is a true southern-baked track in the vein of all those seventies acts (Molly Hatchet, 38 Special), with just a little twinge of alternative irony thrown into the mix, like a delectable shake and bake.
In what has to be the most unabashed rip off of Lou Bega’s “Mambo #5”, Stark’s “Slut” spends the vast majority of its time naming individuals before breaking off into an unrestrained muddle of a track for its depressing ending. Trying to come from the Alice Cooper school of things, Bottle of Smopke’s “Be A Deer” has the proper amount of energy while grinding gears for about three minutes, finally connecting to audiences about halfway through. This compilation does have more variety on it than the traditional horrorcore punk discs on the market, but the acts on here are not always at the cutting edge of things. There are some gems but there are even more in the way of duds on “The Morgue The Merrier”.
Top Tracks: Calabrese “Midnight Spookshow”, Steel Rodeo “Carol Ann”
Rating: 5.0/10
[JMcQ]